just another ex-jazz-musician/proto-rapper/Jersey-Irish-poet-actor/print-junkie/film-raptor/beat-hipster-"white Negro"-rhapsodizer/ex-hippie-punk-'60s-radical-organizer's take on all things cultural, political, spiritual & aggrandizing

Thursday, June 11, 2009

HEALTH CARE SCARE

18 comments:

My family's health insurance bill increased by $100.00 per month this year. In addition, I read that my insurance carrier, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, will no longer cover medical costs at hospitals that belong to Norton's Healtcare's system. This included Kosair Hospital, the only children's hospital in our area. I was recently turned down for health insurance because some administrator "diagnosed" me with COPD. I had to get a note from my doctor to prove him wrong-- and even then it still shows up in my insurance paperwork from time to time.

I can't imagine why socialized medicine would be so feared at this point. Would it mean that we might have to wait months to see our doctor? Guess what? We already have that.

Would it mean that we lose the freedom to choose which doctor we go to? We have that as well. "Dr. Smith won't be able to see you until October. You can either wait til then, or consult with our nurse practitioner".

Would it mean that some of the most expensive treatments would be unavailable to us? Guess what? We're already there.

We already have administrators determining how much healthcare we're entitled to, which doctors can see us, which facilities we must use, and what treatments we receive. We are currently in socialized medicine of a sort, in that the system depends on mutual insurance in order to keep operating. The system is broken, however. It needs repair. I am heartened by the account you provided of the Canadian healthcare service.

Excerpt from NYT:“Scaremongers emphasize the waits for specialists in Canada, and there’s some truth to the stories. After the stroke, Ms. Tucker needed to make a routine appointment with a neurologist and an ophthalmologist to see if she should drive again. Initially, those appointments would have meant a two- or three-month wait, although in the end she managed to arrange them more quickly”

If the patient was not as forceful pushy lawyer, but a meek working stiff, the outcome might not have been good. All in all a stupid and irrelevant antidote.

“Another pervasive feature of the Orwellian state was the practice of constantly whipping up hatred toward the ideological enemy du jour. Looking at much of our political discourse today, from right-wing talk radio to left-wing blogs, it's hard not to think of such rituals as "Two-Minute Hate" and "Hate Week." On too many political websites, every week is Hate Week - whether the object of hate is liberals, Muslims, neocons, or Christian bigots. Partisan propagandists and professional hate-mongers bear a large share of the blame, but so do "regular" people who need little encouragement to demonize political opponents.The inhuman system that inspired Orwell's masterpiece has crumbled. But doublethink, newspeak, thought-policing and virtuous hatred are eternal temptations of the human soul, even in the freest of societies. We have met Big Brother, and he is us.”Cathy Young writes a weekly column for RealClearPolitics and is also a contributing editor at Reason magazine. She blogs at http://cathyyoung.wordpress.com/. She can be reached at

The Department of Homeland Security released a report earlier this year warning of the possible rise of violence by right wing extremist groups. The report indicated that because of the harsh economic times, the election of our first African American president, and the political climate, we could possibly see the rise of violence among these extremists. The report goes on to say that "lone wolf" extremists pose a great threat.

This was met with the same kind of fake outrage that we're accustomed to hearing from the Republicans. Out came Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity and the rest of the goon squad to cry about the report and to mischaracterize it as a political attack against republicans in general. Soon, legislators were calling on DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to apologize. To APOLOGIZE, for warning and preparing the country for impending violence!

Well, it turns out that the report was spot on.

Jim David Adkisson killed two people and wounded six when he opened fire upon a Knoxville Tennessee Church. After the shooting, police later found a "manifesto" letter in Adkisson's truck in which he wrote in angry terms about his hatred of liberalism.

Three police officers were killed in Pittsburgh PA by a gunman who was afraid that the Obama Administration sent the officers to confiscate his weapons.

Scott Roeder killed George Tiller, a doctor at an abortion clinic. Roeder had harrassed Tiller and vandalized his clinic for several years before finally deciding to assassinate him. Details are emerging about Roeder's ties to Operation Rescue, a right-wing anti-abortion extremist group.

Just yesterday, white supremecist James von Brunn walked in to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC and opened fire. He killed a security guard.

This is the type of Right Wing violence the DHS report was talking about. I think a lot of people owe Janet Napolitano an apology. She was only trying to protect us from a very serious threat. And if this report can stop another Oklahoma City bombing, then why in the world would our Republican elected leaders try to supress it?

I've looked all through the President's speech, and I can't find where he says that the Palestinian situation is "equal" or "equivalent" to the holocaust. I think you may be putting words into his mouth to score a cheap point.

But what's your point? That the gunman was a Muslim? Or that he sympatized with the Muslims? Or that this white supremecist hangs on every word uttered by Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright? Nonsense.

John, Obama equated the Holocaust where 6 million were killed with the Palestinian movement (Hamas) which has an expressed goal, as part of it's charter. the destruction of Israel. This moral equivalence has the effect of fanning anti Semitic and anti Israeli sentiment. Many times over the last fifteen years the Palestinians have been offered a two state solution as long as they agree to recognize Israel's right to exist and stop terror attacks. The Palestinians will not take yes for an answer. Imagine for a moment that 15 years ago they had taken yes for an answer. Israel is an incredibly productive and technologically cutting edge economy. The Palestinians could have taken part in that prosperity. Instead they nurse their hatred and send their children to blow Jews in pizza joints and launch rockets into cities. What a waste.

Obama transcripthttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/06/04/transcript-remarks-president-obama-cairo/ “On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people - Muslims and Christians - have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations - large and small - that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.”

I'm looking through the quote you provided, and I can't find the words "equal", "equivalent" or "moral equivalence". This is just another falsehood "Newsmax" is ginning up.

Nothing Obama has suggested so far is any different than Bush's "Roadmap to Peace". It just appears that Obama is more serious about achieving it.

Did you see the election in Lebanon? Hamas was rejected for a Pro-American government. There is talk that maybe Ahmadinajad (sp?) may be voted out of office in Iran thanks to better relations with the middle Eastern countries.

John,You may not be able to see it, but I can and Israel can. The Lebanon election was a delightful surprise. If Obama had something to do with it, congrats. I don't see how you can prove his influence but you can certainly infer it. If the other guy wins in Iran it most likely will not mean any great difference. But it would at least be nice to not hear the Holocaust denied or promises of Israel's destruction.

Earlier this month, FBI director Robert Mueller warned the nation to brace for a potential crime wave involving fraud and corruption related to the economic stimulus package. "These funds are inherently vulnerable to bribery, fraud, conflicts of interest, and collusion. There is an old adage, that where there is money to be made, fraud is not far behind, like bees to honey," Mueller said. See full story.

There's no fraud or corruption in our current healthcare system? Like you said, Jim, "Where there is money to be made, fraud is not far behind, like bees to honey".

Look at your hospital bill next time you have one. I guarantee you that you'll find at least one fraudulent charge. This doesn't count all the fraud perpetrated by doctors, practices, clinics, etc. every day.

There's no fraud or corruption in our current healthcare system? Like you said, Jim, "Where there is money to be made, fraud is not far behind, like bees to honey".

Look at your hospital bill next time you have one. I guarantee you that you'll find at least one fraudulent charge. This doesn't count all the fraud perpetrated by doctors, practices, clinics, etc. every day.

John,One area of abuse has been the run away legal profession which has forced US medicine to practice defensivly and redundently, thus boosting costs. It is unlikely that the problem will be addressed under Obamacare, since the trial lawyers are big supporters. We saw how unions got paid of in the auto bankruptcy.

John,One area of abuse has been the run away legal profession which has forced US medicine to practice defensivly and redundently, thus boosting costs. It is unlikely that the problem will be addressed under Obamacare, since the trial lawyers are big supporters. We saw how unions got paid of in the auto bankruptcy.

If this poll is to believed, Obama’s and the Democrats socialism will have a short shelf life.

June 15, 2009“Conservatives” Are Single-Largest Ideological GroupPercentage of “liberals” higher this decade than in early ’90sby Lydia Saad PRINCETON, NJ -- Thus far in 2009, 40% of Americans interviewed in national Gallup Poll surveys describe their political views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This represents a slight increase for conservatism in the U.S. since 2008, returning it to a level last seen in 2004. The 21% calling themselves liberal is in line with findings throughout this decade, but is up from the 1990s.

Iran and the Obamasiah. Where is he??? At a moment when there is a possiblity of Iran throwing off the theocracy he is quiet. He could at least condem the killing and the closing down of the internet and news services. Maybe he favors Ahmadinjad. They are both in favor of a strong dictatorial central government.